KCE Process Note: Qualitative Research Methods

KCE Reports 408C (2025)

In the context of KCE research, qualitative methods can provide a deeper, more concrete understanding of the topic under investigation than purely quantitative data, as well as valuable insights regarding its wider context. Their aim is not just to describe, but also to obtain more meaningful explanations of a phenomenon. They can also be useful in generating hypotheses. Qualitative research methods are particularly valuable in research on the organisation of healthcare (known as Health Services Research or HSR), but they can also be used in other types of projects like Health Technology Assessments (HTA) or the development of Good Clinical Practice guidelines (GCP).

The first KCE process note on qualitative research methods (QRM) was issued in 2012, as part of a collection of methodological guidance documents aiming to help in-house experts and subcontractors deliver high-quality research based on the best evidence available. It addressed the nature and usefulness of qualitative research and qualitative findings, but also the crucial issue of their quality and validity as evidence.

Thirteen years later, the importance of QRM in the field of health sciences in general and at KCE in particular has considerably increased, as has the underlying methodological basis. The world too has changed over the last decade, not least because of the profound impact of COVID-19 and the spectacular boost it gave to remote and online solutions. This evolution inevitably influenced qualitative research on a practical level, with remote or hybrid meetings or interviews becoming commonplace, but also, more fundamentally, with the increasing use of online data collection techniques. At KCE, COVID-19 also triggered an in-depth reflection on expedited research and reporting (ESRO), the qualitative component of which poses specific challenges.

For all these reasons, the time had come to revise, improve and develop the original process note to include recent evolutions and new experiences, and provide KCE researchers with up-to-date methodological guidance on qualitative research methods.

This new report aims to provide hands-on advice and criteria for the use of QRM in KCE studies, and to broaden the knowledge base about QRM within KCE. It contains some theoretical knowledge on QRM, advice for putting them in practice and (answers to) frequently asked questions to guide decision-making, as well as links to numerous more specific procedures, templates and other resources.